Friending: Real Relationships in a Virtual World

You gotta have friends!

‘It is not good that man should be alone,’ observed God at the dawn of human time (Genesis 2:18), referring to Adam, the first human. God made Eve as a helper and friend to Adam. And in that creative act, God gave the gift of friendship to all humanity.
 
This edition of War Cry explores the concept of friendship from a few angles. First off, I’d draw your attention to Barbara Sampson’s article (page 11), a reminder to continue expressing friendship and solidarity to the people of Christchurch however we can, including by our prayers.

Our feature article, taken from a new book, suggests humans are ‘called to relationship’—with our creator God, and with each other. ‘Being made in God’s image means that we are created to love and give and care,’ says author Lynne Baab. She encourages us to reflect God in our friendships: to be our ‘best self, to let go of selfishness and grudges and pride’.

The title of Lynne’s book, Friending, refers, of course, to the practice of ‘adding a friend’ to a social networking list. Vanessa Carey takes a look at the wonderful and sometimes wacky world of Facebook in her Firezone feature. Not everything about Facebook is great but as Vanessa points out, when treated with wisdom and caution, this virtual community has benefits.

I’m a recent Facebook fan. The novelty hasn’t yet worn off, so I’m still sharing too much pointless information, commenting where I shouldn’t, and getting ridiculously excited by photos of people’s children, pets and family outings. One of my genuine surprises about Facebook, though, is the way it’s reinvigorating my prayer life. I’m not only keeping up with old friends and new, I’m regularly praying about their needs. I don’t mean to sound ‘saintly’—prayer isn’t always my first instinct, I confess—but Facebook’s capacity to call us to prayer is, I suppose, another of its positive benefits.

Of course, we should never neglect the old-fashioned ways of nurturing friendships either. As God pointed out, it is not good that man (or woman) be alone. So thanks for giving us friendship, God. Great idea!

Major Christina Tyson

Bible Verse

Proverbs 16:28 - Contemporary English Version
‘Gossip is no good! It causes hard feelings and comes between friends.’

Ngā Whakatauki 16:28
‘Ko tā te tangata whanoke he tītaritari i te raruraru; ko tā te tangata kawekawe kōrero he wehewehe i ngā hoa tupu.’